CH 1.8

Damn Elves and Damn Dwarves

Translated by mlzkzr

Edited by mlzkzr

I throw charcoal as fuel into the furnace and watch the mood of the spirit of fire.

When I called out two or three words, sparks of fire fluttered about, and the fire spirit that lived in the furnace came to show off their appeal for today as well.

About six months after I started learning blacksmithing, the Damn Dwarf shishou entrusted me with a job that I could take on as I pleased.

That is nail making.

Ever since I started working at the blacksmith shop, I have gradually gotten to know some of the local residents.

Then I learned that they are actually sometimes inconvenienced by the lack of metal products such as nails, knives, and pots and pans.

Why is that, since they lived near a blacksmith shop?

I wondered so, but the fucking dwarf master is known as the best blacksmith in town, and his job is to make weapons and armor for soldiers and adventurers.

The Dwarves were also known for their stubbornness, and their muscular and stern appearance made it difficult for the local residents to ask for daily necessities, so it was as if they were not allowed to ask them.

However, that impression seems to have softened after they saw me, an elf, working at the blacksmith shop, who was supposed to be incompatible with the dwarves.

Because we seem to enjoy each other’s company very much, even though we are cursing each other as fucking elves and fucking dwarves.

So the landowner, who is also the face of the neighborhood on behalf of the residents, came to me secretly for advice.

I wouldn’t say I’m up for a kitchen knife or even a pot, so I wondered if I could somehow accommodate even just nails.

And when I told the story to the fucking dwarf master, he thought about it for a minute.

“…… If you’ve gotten more customers because of your visit, fucking elf, give it a try. I’ll teach you how to make it.”

That’s what he said to me.

So with that said, I will make nails again today.

In fact, even if I just say nails, there were many different types of nails.

Items that require a large number of pieces are made by casting, in which molten metal is poured into a mold and allowed to cool and harden, while special shapes that require a small number of pieces are created by forging, in which the heated metal is beaten with a hammer to change its shape.

Moreover, depending on the purpose for which it is used, the material will also change.

For example, in addition to iron nails, golden brass and brass nails would likely be in high demand for landowners and other wealthy people because of their good looks.

However, not all the nails I make can be sold as products.

Before being handed over to the nearby residents as merchandise, they are checked by the damn Dwarf master to see if they are acceptable as items to be handled in this blacksmith shop.

Well, I guess it’s natural, but the checks are also very strict.

Aside from casted nails, not even 10% of the forged nails I made passed his test for a while.

But rather than being strangely tolerant, it is better to have such strict checks than to be lenient when actually handing over the products to the customer.

I can hand over the goods with pride that they have passed the inspection of the fucking Dwarf Master.

Moreover, as the percentage of passing the inspections increased, even if only gradually, I was able to clearly see my progress, and my weak points and areas for improvement had gradually come to the fore.

So this nail-making is really fun, to say the least.

I’m happy that people are pleased when I deliver it to their new homes, and it is also interesting and surprising to discover, when walking around the neighborhood, that nails that I think I made have been used in the construction.

I imagine that if I continue to make nails for another hundreds of years, the houses around me will be rebuilt and most of the nails used around here will be replaced with the ones made by me, and I inadvertently think that such a way of life would be good.

But even if it’s fun now, it’s not clear that I can continue to make nails for a hundred years.

I’m probably going to get bored doing it after ten or twenty years.

After about a month of making nails, my passing rate went up to 30%, and after three months it exceeded 50%.

The blacksmith shop is getting busier and busier, and the number of employees has gradually increased.

The two additional employees were two people, both of whom lived nearby and were housewives with children.

They take turns working one day at a time, three days a week, and the one who is absent also takes care of the children of the one who is working, so they take care of each other’s families.

On my weekly days off, I am occasionally invited to their home to play with their children.

Human children grow up so fast that it is really interesting to watch.

Just by looking at them for the first time in a few weeks, it looks like they have grown, just a little bit, but they are definitely getting bigger.

Their kids adore me, calling me their fucking elf big brother.

However, if they have bad mouths from childhood, they will not grow up to be good adults, so I think it would be better to fix it.

Although the grown-up me and the fucking dwarf master are still twisted and stubborn, so there’s nothing I can do about it.

Recently, I had also dabbled in nail making other than what I had been taught.

For example, yes, a staple nail.

It seems that this world, or at least the town of Viskort, did not have a staple nail or a clamp, and when I made it and showed it to him, the damn Dwarf master’s eyes widened.

Due to technical problems, it’s impossible for me to make a very small one, but even a large one could be used to join pieces of wood together.

Since I started taking on nail making, my work has increased a lot, but at the same time, my salary has increased considerably.

I’m still dependent on Airena, the best adventurer in this town, for most of my living expenses, but it’s about time I really would want to become independent.

She is also an elf, after all, and the little more that she has to take care of me, is seriously very, very long.

I had always planned to rent a house, but now that I had already saved enough money to buy a house, I was now considering buying one.

I think it is safe to live here, because I’m familiar with everyone around me near this blacksmith shop, and the security isn’t that bad.

Airena is currently undertaking a long-term request and is going on an expedition, but when she returns, this time, let’s have a discussion.